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Original poster

Faith school application: proof of attendance with a senile priest who doesn't take attendance

41 replies

CForCake · 09/10/2025 12:29

One of the state schools we are considering applying to is a faith school.

Applying to that school requires submitting a supplementary information form.
The school will then contact the local priest to confirm attendance.

The admission criteria explicitly state that the school will contact the priest, and that families shouldn't ask the priest to sign any letter nor submit any form.

If I understand correctly, this process is similar if not identical for most faith schools.

Our problem is that the priest is somewhat senile, forgets things and faces, and has always refused to take attendance at mass (like some other priests instead do). So he replies not based on a written log but based on his (hugely unreliable) memory. I'm not exaggerating: when we baptised our younger kid he had a couple of times where he seemed not to remember who we were, and this was a few years ago.

Our questions are: what happens if the school contacts the priest, but the priest forgets to reply or doesn't remember who we are?

  • We know a couple of families who attend the same church and whose older kids go to the same school. They said the school didn't contact the priest. So the "checks" are made on a random sample, not on all applicants?
  • What happens if the school contacts the priest and he forgets to reply? Do we lose the place? Does the school contact us so we have an option to chase the priest?
  • What if the priest replies that he doesn't remember us? He does not keep any official register of attendance so there is no official record. Would we lose the place? Would we be automatically considered for a non-faith place?

This school would not be our top choice. Maybe we are being a bit paranoid, but the maximum distance for all the other schools has narrowed over the last few years, so we are a bit worried now.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Thingsthatgo · 09/10/2025 18:57

in our area the parent has to get a form signed. I know this because a friend of mine managed to convince the vicar that she attends church regularly and he happily signed, despite the fact that she only ever went to church for the toddler group.

Mushrump · 09/10/2025 18:37

PrettyPretenderNegligentVendor · 09/10/2025 16:49

Here it runs for the 9 months prior to the form signing. For primary only though, secondary is more relaxed. Non-siblings who 'only' attend mass 3 times a month don't all get in. And if you don't live in the parish boundaries you've no chance either, even if you go 4 times.

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That’s fascinating. How is the register taken? At the door? Signing a sheet in the pews?

bubblnsqueek · 09/10/2025 17:35

@CForCake the reason the school have to check every applicant is so that their process stands up to scrutiny by the LA and/or appeals panels.

If a parent reports another parent to the LA for submitting fraudulent information, and the LA investigates, the school's inadequate process will be rightly called out as a problem

If an appeal panel is not confident that the school are applying their policy robustly (e.g. because they or the appellant ask them directly whether every application is checked, and they say no) then the panel are likely to find in favour of the appellant.

In any case, most of the applicants are likely to be concentrated in just a few churches - its as easy to send a full list to each priest as it is to send a selection.

LIZS · 09/10/2025 17:35

At our local faith school it is up to applicants to get the form signed and at least one church has a designated session to do so. I believe families sign a register when they attend services. Don’t rely on hearsay that not everyone is checked, without a returned signed form means your application cannot be considered under faith criteria as the supplementary information is missing.

CreteBound · 09/10/2025 17:05

@CForCake it is absolutely the schools fault if they choose to rely on unreliable or biased admissions data. I’d report them to their academy head for not having a robust admissions policy

Original poster
CForCake · 09/10/2025 17:00

CreteBound · 09/10/2025 16:41

I’d be worried about selecting a school with such a poor grasp of rigor and inclusion that they randomly contact a senile priest when they fancy it. Sounds like a poor school overall - what are your other options?

@CreteBound Well, if the priest is senile, that's hardly the school's fault.

My understanding was that faith schools check only a sample of applicants. At least that's what a few families with kids in that school told me - that they weren't checked.

@bubblnsqueek says that the school has to check every applicant. Do you know if this is some kind of legal / national requirement, or if every school can do it differently, so some schools check all applicants, some only a sample?

@Mushrump I have literally never come across a priest taking a register at Mass for faith school eligibility purposes. What a mad thing!

Oh, trust me, these cases exist! Eg this church tells parents to approach the priest at the end of each service, so he can log attendance. https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/hamptonhill/certificate-of-catholic-practice-ccp/

@PrettyPretenderNegligentVendor What were the stats last year over acceptance from each criteria?

The school in question allocates half the places on faith.

  • Faith places: we would have been comfortably within distance every single past year
  • Non-faith places: never as of March, we would have got in by August most years (but not every year), so it's a bit of a risk
OP posts:
PrettyPretenderNegligentVendor · 09/10/2025 16:49

Mushrump · 09/10/2025 16:43

I have literally never come across a priest taking a register at Mass for faith school eligibility purposes. What a mad thing!

Here it runs for the 9 months prior to the form signing. For primary only though, secondary is more relaxed. Non-siblings who 'only' attend mass 3 times a month don't all get in. And if you don't live in the parish boundaries you've no chance either, even if you go 4 times.

PrettyPretenderNegligentVendor · 09/10/2025 16:45

A registering process was started at our church the year after there was a large spate of successful appeals due to this - large parish with four regular priests covering each mass on a seemingly random rota. If you went to a different timed mass every week whichever priest saw you had no chance of remembering you because you might only see that guy once every two months despite going every week.

What were the stats last year over acceptance from each criteria?

Mushrump · 09/10/2025 16:43

I have literally never come across a priest taking a register at Mass for faith school eligibility purposes. What a mad thing!

CreteBound · 09/10/2025 16:41

I’d be worried about selecting a school with such a poor grasp of rigor and inclusion that they randomly contact a senile priest when they fancy it. Sounds like a poor school overall - what are your other options?

bubblnsqueek · 09/10/2025 16:38

CForCake · 09/10/2025 16:30

@bubblnsqueek Very interesting case, I didn't know about that.
However, I am not sure it's relevant for my situation, because the school in question dropped its faith criterion from the admission policy. I think there's a zero chance of that happening at the school I'm considering.

As a more general question:

  • do schools check only a random sample?
  • when the schools check, do they notify the family that they have asked the priest? Or does the family remain completely in the dark on whether the school has contacted the priest, whether the priest has replied, etc?

They fact that they dropped the admissions policy is a red herring - it happened later. Before that happened he was threatened with being sued if he didn't provide the evidence and therefore (presumably) he was persuaded to provide the evidence.

You don't need to go that far - if your own evidence conflicts with the priest's evidence, you can use it to lodge an appeal.

If you want to find out from the school what the priest has told them, put in a Subject Access Request. The timing for that should be a few weeks after the application deadline, but before National Offer Day.

The school has to check every applicant.

Phunkychicken · 09/10/2025 16:34

In our case the school checked with every applicant. But surely there's other staff that could vouch for your attendance? I think the office staff prepared the form for us and then the Vicar signed it off.

Luxio · 09/10/2025 16:30

If he is unreliable in terms of memory I would presume others at the church support the school in supplying accurate information if they check.

It might be worth asking the school at an open day they will be better able to explain the checks and what they entail especially if the priest is known to be forgetful.

Original poster
CForCake · 09/10/2025 16:30

@bubblnsqueek Very interesting case, I didn't know about that.
However, I am not sure it's relevant for my situation, because the school in question dropped its faith criterion from the admission policy. I think there's a zero chance of that happening at the school I'm considering.

As a more general question:

  • do schools check only a random sample?
  • when the schools check, do they notify the family that they have asked the priest? Or does the family remain completely in the dark on whether the school has contacted the priest, whether the priest has replied, etc?
OP posts:
LIZS · 09/10/2025 16:26

Perhaps ask the school, presumably they have dealt with the same priest/church before.

bubblnsqueek · 09/10/2025 16:03

@CForCake you can keep your own log of attendance, with evidence. Then if the priest doesn't give you the reference you need you can threaten to sue him, like parents did to this priest (with a good outcome, because it led to a change of admissions policy ☑️): https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/priest-concerns-prompts-school-to-change-admissions-policy

You can also use your evidence as the basis of an appeal.